Unrecognized

From 7 May

Cross in Red - May 2011

"On Easter Sunday, 30 members of my church were detained by government officials," ****** shared with me. With that aside, stated matter-of-factly, world headlines were suddenly realized and made manifest in the form of my seat mate, even as the minibus cruised along the highway back to Beijing.

"The arrests have continued over the past 3 weeks . . . somewhere over 30 are detained each time. Our Pastor and many others are under house arrest."

Of concern for the government is the fact that this church is 'unregistered' - having outgrown the moniker 'house church' by several hundred members and a couple million dollars, 'unregistered' is a more fitting descriptor of this type of Christian assembly. With leadership neither trained nor ordained by the state authorized China Christian Council, the congregation fails to satisfy the requirements needed to be recognized, and thereby protected, by the state.

"We want to be registered. We have applied. . . Because our Pastors are not 'officially' ordained we have been denied. They have been ordained by their predecessors and they have been trained (outside the approved system) but it is not acceptable to the state."

With my own ordination slated to take place in less than two weeks, this is a story that gives me pause. It simultaneously causes me to realize the parallels between the Church as it is found in China and the United States as well as the significant dissimilarity.

What headlines like the ones from this past Easter and the pop-culture conceptions of contemporary Christian persecution in China often downplay is the existence of expressions of the faith (Protestant and Catholic) that are recognized by the government, that are state sanctioned and state approved, and that are growing.

The China Christian Council (CCC) is the official Protestant Church in the country. As a 'post-denominational' body composed of the remnants of different mainline Protestant churches in the country (Methodists, Anglicans, Presbyterians, etc), I note a lot of similarity in the DNA of our respective practices and policies - especially as it relates to the question of Ordination. Of concern in our respective organizations is the proper training and credentialing of Church Leaders.

As is the case in China with the CCC, in my own denomination in the United States, Pastors must meet a certain level of standards and follow certain processes in order to be Ordained. To be 'recognized,' one must tow the party line. Those who don't, or who are ordained in processes outside of official channels, remain unrecognized and unauthorized to serve in our churches.

An obvious caveat in this comparison (and it is a massive one) is the role of State in designating one body the 'official' Protestant Church in China, developing the standards, and using its martial power to enforce protocol and, as happened on Easter, to prosecute those who break it.

What I am curious about is exploring the possibility of reconciliation - especially in light of the congregation's desire to be registered.

What compromises would need to take place in order for 'unrecognized' leaders and their congregations to become recognized by the CCC? Would they need to humbly submit themselves before recognized authorities and follow the approved educational track? How might establishment leaders flex the system to accommodate such outliers?  Is there even interest or energy to pursue such a project?